A Mouse and a Bird
by TiredGreenEyes
Summary: Mouse once asked Vincent what it was like to have a love. He'll find out. For all MOUSE fans
1. Chap 1

A Mouse and a Bird

Chapter 1

The park was in rare form. The trees' branches were bare and black and looked like coat hangers against the starry sky. It was cold- almost bitterly so- and no happy couples walked under the night's moon.

They were the nights that Leda loved the most.

She had the taxi drop her off at the edge of the bridge and she was walking quietly through the bushes. The cold literally bit at her ankles as her skirt swished around them. But that was the price you pay… for silence.

She smiled wryly. Well not silence, per say. After all, this was New York. In the distance were police sirens, the horns of cars and doors slamming. But sometimes, in the winter… when people preferred to stay indoors with their heaters up and the blankets pulled up to their chins… sometimes on nights like these when it was quieter… she would walk to the park. She would close her eyes and hear the rustle of leaves. And sometimes, just sometimes, it felt like she was _home_ again.

"Hey you!"

Leda jumped a little. A man hung back in the shadows, his face obscured by the hood of his sweatshirt. "Can you give me directions to Fairmount Drive?"

A man in the middle of the park at night was asking her for directions to a street in the inner city? Leda shook her head. "Nope, sorry," she turned, not making eye contact and kept walking. The grand illusion was over. This was not the country… this was not the woods. This was the city, at night, and if her grandmother knew where she was-

'_She'd have my head_…' Leda thought. If she'd heard it once, she'd heard it a million times, '_A young lady has no business in the streets after dark_.'

'_Then again, I've never really been much of a lady…_' Leda smiled. She reached into her purse to pull out change for the cab back. To her right, a stick snapped. Ignoring her instinct to run, she turned boldly.

She would always regret that moment.

* * *

"We'll seal up the tunnels on the eastern side and keep a look out for the blazer pipes. In the meantime, that should just about do it," Father tossed down his pen and sighed, leaning back in his chair. There were so many tunnels and maps, it was nearly impossible to keep track. Somehow they managed it- along with the tricky routine of switching up their passages so that no one would stumble upon their secret. Vincent glanced at his Father and immediately poured him a cup of tea.

"Ah, thank you," Father said as he took the cup, deeply inhaling the steam before he took a sip. "It's lucky we have Mouse to double check all these tunnels… who knows how many we've overlooked since he came to us."

"Yes," Vincent smiled. It was always interesting to see him smile. His lips hardly moved but the wrinkles around his eyes always gave him away. "He's already promised to help, but the last time I saw him he was up to his elbows in bolts and screws, building some new digging machine."

Father shook his head. "Well… I'd say if that's true than everything is going as usual around here," he took up his cane and limped over to the stairs. "Perhaps we may actually be able to complete a game of chess for once…"

At that moment Kipper came running into the room so fast he slid on the wet tunnel floor and went skidding across the room. Acting purely on reflex, Vincent caught him before he fell down the little flight of stairs.

"Father!" Kipped yelled, his voice muffled against Vincent's front.

"You spoke too soon," Vincent murmured.

Father shot Vincent a half exasperated half amused look before he turned his attention to the boy. "Yes Kipper, what is it?" Then he remembered. "Wait… Kipper isn't it your turn to keep watch at the park entrance?"

"Yes," Kipper gasped as he pushed himself away from Vincent. "I was there… and something's happened!" Without waiting for response he plowed on, "There's a girl there… she crawled into the tunnel. She's crying really hard… and loud. She's… she's…" he blushed, making Father and Vincent exchange shared looks of confusion.

"She's what?" Vincent prodded gently.

Kipper swallowed. "She uh… she ain't… got much clothes on." He mumbled. He took a deep breath and began, "But Father, that's why it's so strange! It's really cold out tonight and she's not wearing much and she's kinda bloody… like someone beat her up-"

"Dear God," the blood was draining from Father's face. "Vincent, Vincent will-"

But he had already gone. Father turned to Kipper. "I need my bag… my medical bag. I want you to call Mary and send a message to Pascal. Everyone needs to stay away from that entrance for the night."

"You think the guy that hurt her is still out there?" Kipper asked.

'_Actually… I was hoping not to humiliate her any further_' "Yes… we don't want anyone to be hurt." Father paused. "Kipper… will you please not tell anyone about this except Mary? You may say…" he paused. Luckily Kipper understood.

"I'll say that we think someone bad is in the park. That's all." He turned and ran up the steps. As an afterthought he looked back. "Can you make it there Father?"

Father nodded as he gathered up his bag. "Yes, yes… now go on!"

The boy disappeared. Father hiked up the steps. He glanced the room again to see if he needed anything. On the table the tea and the chess set sat side by side, a perfect symbol of what was supposed to be a quiet and orderly evening.

'_I really did speak too soon…_' Father thought wearily. Then he turned and quickly left the room.

* * *

R&R


	2. Chap 2

* * *

Parte dos

* * *

Mouse was not in a particularly good mood.

And that was putting it rather lightly.

The digging machine had been everything he ever hoped for- it speedily drilled away; practically melting through the cavern walls. Or at least… until the tip of the spiral steel bolt snapped off like a twig. After the sparks finished flying and Mouse finished his angry tantrum (which had involved stamping, yelling, pounding the walls with his fists and kicking the machine for good measure) he sat down in a huff on the cold stone floor to think through his predicament.

Since his promise to Father and Vincent about stealing the materials for his inventions, the number of projects he'd created had slowed to an almost complete halt. He'd been able to recycle a few things, but most of them had been destroyed by Charles the giant during his brief stay and the other half of the things were bent, dirty, or covered in rust.

So now, three months of work from the start of his new creation… he was looking at a broken useless piece of machinery which he had gotten Jamie to carry down here only after he'd promised she wouldn't have to help him drag it back to his cave again.

'_Mess!_' he decided, crossing his arms decidedly. "Nothing but… mess!" He said aloud.

The caves were silent. A faint echo of his own voice answered him.

Sighing, he stood up. Rubbing his lower back he paced back and forth in front of his creation. His mouth may have lacked words, but his mental abilities suffered no wrong. Mouse was a genius when it came to construction and electrical components. However, brilliant as he was, he had no idea how special it made him in comparison to other people. Yes, he knew he was 'good at fixing things,' but the idea that he was smarter or better… these things never really seemed to occur to him.

'_Maybe… I look for parts above…?_' he mused. '_Just look… no harm. Can't do much…_'

He clapped his hands. "Okay… okay good. Okay fine!" He said aloud, and the frustration melted. He darted up the passageway and through the tiny hole he had made in the wall. He had always suspected the wall to be hollow. Thanks to his exploration he'd found another passage. Wouldn't Father and Vincent be pleased when they found out?

'_Maybe even not care if… If I take what I need!_' he thought eagerly.

He was near the underground springs- the place where most of the community went for their baths and showers. There used to be a large metal basin, which could be filled easily and then set over a fire for hot water. Now it used a steam processor machine, which had been constructed by their blacksmith and thought up by Mouse. The floor in front of the entrance was always slippery and Mouse used the pipes above his head as a railing to tiptoe his way over the surface. As he did, the vibrations, the very pulse of their world, sent messages into his hands. They were familiar things… sometimes silly. A message for Samantha from one of the helpers about a litter of tabby cats she'd found. A message to the kitchen from Chang Lee saying that the ingredients would be delivered to dock number 3 tonight instead of 2. Typical things.

But wait…

Mouse paused, pressing his hand more firmly against the skinniest of the three pipes. It was a message, warning everyone to stay away from the park entranceway tonight; there had been a stranger found hurt within the entranceway.

"Stranger?" Mouse wondered. "No strangers ever in park. Not hurt. Not for long time. Park entrance safest."

The message repeated itself again. And again.

Mouse let go of the pipe and walked up a small flight of steps. Around the next corner, through the little door on the left and he'd be about five minutes from his cave.

'_Can't go to warehouse now…_' Mouse thought gloomily. '_Not supposed to be in tunnels. Get caught._'

Gloomily he sulked off to his room, thinking that perhaps one of Arthur's tricks might cheer him up until the morning… when it would finally be safe to travel up into the world above.

* * *

'On second thought,' Vincent thought hesitantly as he listened to the soft crying coming from the other side of the door. 'My coming here to comfort this girl may have been the worse idea of all.'

There would be no softening the effect his face could have on the girl, especially considering what she was likely to have just gone through. Even now, Vincent cursed himself for hesitating instead of simply opening the door and rushing to aid.

'It's not selfishness,' he told himself firmly. 'I don't wish to frighten her…'

Another lonely cry seemed to penetrate his ears from beyond the safety of the wall. His less humanistic side jeered.

'Why not admit it? You're just afraid of being hurt. You don't want her to cringe away from you… think of you as nothing more than an intelligent monster… a beast…'

Vincent growled slightly. The voice stopped. Somehow he restrained himself from smacking his forehead at his own stupidity.

The door smoothly opened.

There was no adjustment time whatsoever. The girl had drug herself to the iron gate in front of the door and had been pressing her face through the bars, crying into what she'd believed to be a solid wall. However before her eyes, the wall disappeared and suddenly a strange creature was standing in front of her, looking surprised and concerned.

Vincent braced himself for the inevitable.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be unnecessary. She didn't scream. She didn't even look shocked. Actually, the moment his face appeared, a look on intense relief seemed to come over the young girl's face, which bothered the gentle cave dweller more than it comforted him. The sound of footsteps came from behind.

"Vincent!" Father gasped, leaning heavily on his cane. "H-h-have you found her?"

"Is she all right?" Mary was steadying Father's arm, but as she looked ahead her eyes widened. Immediately she ran forward.

"I'll take care of this," she muttered, slipping through the door carefully. The young victim seemed to wake up at this close encounter and flew from the bars to the other end of the entrance, looking horrified. Like Kipper had said, her clothes were ripped- they looked as if they'd been ripped right off her body and then placed back on hap-hazardly. A few strips were tied together but the overall effect left little to the imagination.

Mary tisked, looking all the more concerned, "Vincent, give me your cloak," she demanded.

Without thought, he untied the knot at the base of his throat, handing it through the bars to the elder. She took it, her eyes never leaving the victim's, her eyes having all the compassion that only a mother's could.

"It's all right," Mary said softly, warmly. "It's okay now. No one is going to hurt you any more."

The girl shivered so hard that for a moment Vincent thought it resembled a seizure. She tried to stand and couldn't. Mary continued to move closer, smiling reassuringly.

"Please, don't be frightened. We won't let anyone harm you. You're safe now. We want to help you…" she murmured.

Father motioned to Vincent to back away. As he slowly reached his Father's side, Jacob whispered, "Its best we let Mary do this. She'll react better to another woman, I think."

"Yes," Vincent answered, fire in his eyes.

Father noticed this without trepidation.

"Vincent, are you thinking of looking for the man who did this?"

"Yes."

Father exhaled through his nose. "He's probably gone by now."

"Still, if I can find anything…"

"Perhaps Catherine…"

Vincent nodded tersely. "I'll go to her then. It's probably best if…" he trailed off. Father understood. He smiled sadly.

"Then you'd best go get another cloak. We will hopefully be through by the time you return. Make certain you don't tell anyone about this yet," he cautioned.

Vincent nodded. "I won't," he promised. Then, almost soundlessly, he turned and strolled down one of the empty passages. Father's eyes followed him for a moment before they flickered back to the passage where sobs were now echoing.

"Come with me Child," he heard Mary say. "We'll take you where it's safe. No one will find you there."

'_Is that really for the best?_' Father wondered. '_If she wishes to prosecute, or if she wants proof of what has happened… this situation is completely different than Catherine's…_"

But there was no time to think of that. Mary came to the gate, her arm wrapped tightly around the girl, who was wearing Vincent's large cape with the hood pulled almost completely over her face. Ignoring his limp, father jumped over to grab the girl's other side. She jumped as he did so.

"It's all right," Mary assured her. "This is Father. He's a doctor."

If the tenseness radiating from her shoulder said anything, he could have been the Pope for all she cared.

'_Oh dear…_' Father thought anxiously, sharing a look with Mary over their patient's head. '_This may be even more difficult than we thought._'

* * *

I think I updated this mostly for my own pleasure. However please enjoy!

-FE


	3. Chap 3

Someone wrote to me and said that I needed to update. True true, I haven't updated in almost a year. That's what happens when you hit college. This was something that I shot out very very quickly so I'm sure it's full of errors… yet I can't be bothered to edit. Feel free to point out mistakes to me.

* * *

Catherine stepped out of the room and closed the door, leaning against it and closing her eyes. Slowly she reached up to rub her temples with her index and middle finger.

"How is she?"

She didn't have to open her eyes to know the expression on the face before her. It would be nearly expressionless, but the eyes would radiate with sadness and concern.

"She's not speaking about it." Catherine turned to Vincent. "She's so young… I tried to get her to at least talk about her family… but she's closed herself off."

Vincent shook his head. "She's terrified," he said softly. "We had her upstairs because we wanted father to be able to check in on her occasionally… but the sound of the children, the echoes of the pipes, the sight of any and every man here all affected her so badly that we thought it best to bring her down here.

They walked to down the entranceway to where the water from the city spilled over the edge and created a huge waterfall. True, Catherine reflected. There was no way that the girl could hear anything over the water. But at the same time… wouldn't that frighten her more? The idea of not being able to hear someone when they were coming?

And was it really going to help her if they encouraged her to shut herself away, deep in the underground tunnels where no one could find her… help her?

"I'm not sure what to do Vincent," said Catherine after they had walked a ways and the roar of the water was behind them. "I can't get her to talk about what happened so I cannot take her above or start the search for the man who did it-"

"I've already tried looking for him," Vincent said. There was a small, almost inaudible growl to his tone, and Catherine knew that if the man had been found there would have been no need for a prosecution. "I found his scent litter all over the bushes, but he had fled. I'll know that smell again, if he passes by."

She reached out and gently took his hand. "Vincent…" she pressed her cheek against his arm. "I'm worried about this. We have to do something about that man… we can't just allow him to roam, hurting others… but finding him could be difficult. Above, we have a special medical examination that is done after a woman has been raped-"

"Father has already conducted it," Vincent cut in.

Catherine jerked back and looked up at him, surprised. "Father has? But how-"

"John keeps him up to date on his medical examinational methods with journals and so forth." Vincent looked disturbed. "Mary assisted. I wasn't there, of course, but Father told me it was horrible."

"You mean intrusive," Catherine sighed. "I wish there was another way. It's such a horrible humiliating thing to go through after you've been… hurt."

Vincent squeezed her hand. "If you need these things for record… we can send them to John. That was you may be able to get the ball rolling."

"Not without a statement." Catherine shook her head. "They'll never accept the report without a statement. That's our main problem… time is running out. If we do get her to make a statement eventually they may wonder why it's taken so long and not accept the proposal to start searching for this man."

They stopped walking. They had reached the little entranceway below the apartment complex.

"How about this…" Vincent paused. "We'll send the information to John with Mary. He can draw up the proper paperwork and Mary can make a statement saying to found the girl in the park. We can say that the girl fled afterwards, but at least that would be a more plausible explanation. After all, anyone would understand a girl disappearing or not wanting to speak after such a horrible event."

Catherine opened her mouth then closed it, thinking. She paused and finally said, "It might work. We'd have to be extremely careful-"

"Yes."

"But it would be enough for a start… enough to get a search party together. How fast can you make this come together?"

"I'll talk to Mary and have Jamie get a message to John immediately."

Catherine nodded. "We're staging this a day late… I hope none of the samples will be messed up."

"You let John and Father worry about that part. They're experts in medicine."

There was a lengthy pause. Catherine looked at Vincent carefully. These things always seemed to cut him deeply; sensitive as he was. Though to be fair, they always hurt her too, bringing up that terrible memory of the day Vincent had found her.

He gently touched her jaw where the scar was. They shared the same mind.

"It took you a while to heal as well Catherine. We must hope that this girl has your strength."

She smiled a little, feeling tired. Then she gently tipped her head up and kissed him goodnight.

* * *

Leda was laying on her side listening to overwhelming sounds of water pounding against the earth. In her mind she was displaced, whirling into darkness, the events of that night relentlessly and torturous; playing in her head over and over. She thought of it when she was awake- she dreamed of it when she was awake. She felt entirely different, as though she'd had a complete out of body experience. She wondered if she would ever feel normal again.

At first she had been nearly hysterical by the constant voices, the strangers who kept coming to her, asking her questions, poking her, prodding her… wasn't it enough that she had to _think_ about it? Why did she need to speak of it? Now it was quiet… it was horribly quiet except for that water pounding over and over and she sat in the corner of her room, her hands over her ears rocking back and forth… _and back and forth…. And back and forth…!_

The man appeared. A dark shape, a faceless man… sometimes she thought she saw a glare, a malicious sneer. She begged him to leave her and he laughed. She pleaded with him until he became angry and threw her to the ground.

For a long time she had barely been able to acknowledge anything, so wrapped up in her mind, so displaced as she had been. As time rolled on she gradually came to her senses enough to ask the obvious questions. '_Where am I? What is this place?_'

She decided to find out.

She opened the door and walked down the passageway, towards the sound of rushing water. When she reached the clearing she stopped, amazed.

Thousands upon thousands of tons of rushing water fell from the pipes at the top of the cliff to the bottom of the canyon. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, a waterfall that represented such beauty and power in the middle of an ugly and dirty underground sewer. Above it, instead of birds, bats lingered, flying over the water and catching bugs.

She shivered and drew slightly closer to the wall.

"Hey! Hey watch out!"

"You better run!"

"I'll catch you!"

The sudden sound of voices echoing loudly off the canyon walls from all directions made her startle. She turned to flee down the fall to the confines of her room and tripped over a stone. Falling she scraped her knees roughly against the rocky pathway and cried out. Her voice was drowned out by the sounds coming from below. Expecting the worst, she covered her head with her arms.

"Look out Ana!"

"No fair! Kipper you always win!"

"Not his fault you're so slow!"

The obvious lilt of children's voices made her peer from her sanctuary. She crawled to the side of the cliff and looked at the pools below. Three children were at its edge, undressing with the obvious intention of jumping in.

Leda stared at them with utter fascination. Their smiles, their laughing and jokes… it was so utterly foreign, so strange and distant. For a moment time stopped and she fought hard to think of a reason, any reason, that anyone would have for happiness.

Shrieks could be heard from below as toes touched the cold water. One of the boys bravely dived in entirely, sending a splash big enough to drench the other two. A moment later they were all in the water.

"Having fun?"

A new voice. Leda gasped as she saw the Lion man stroll over to them. He stopped his stroll just under a patch of light spilling from the streets overhead. The children looked at him in delight.

"Vincent! Vincent come in with us!"

He laughed. It should have been frightening but his countenance was so gentle that even Leda could not help but be soothed.

"You know it how long it takes for me to dry off. I think I'll leave the swimming to you."

"Aww Vincent!"

"Please?"

The Lion shook his head. Coming to the water's edge he very carefully bent over and reached out a hand as if to test the water temperature. Then he quickly snapped back, splashing the children and making them gasp in surprise. They all quickly tried to retaliate but he had already stepped back beyond their reach.

"Aww come on Vincent!"

"Vincent!"

Suddenly, the answer appeared. The answer to the questions that had been pushing into her mind, her spirit. How could there be happiness, where she was, how she had gotten here…

This wasn't real.

It was so simple, so logical. It had never really happened at all… none of it. Lions did not exist. Strange pathways and tunnels… there was no way that this was real, that people could exist in such a dark and dreary place and be happy.

That man… that night… it wasn't real.

A nightmare… a horrible and lifelike nightmare, but certainly not anything to fear…

Because… because none of this was possible… because horrible things like that did not happen-_could_ not happen. Not to her. To other people, yes of course, to strangers in the newspaper or on television but to herself, it was so personal, too close-

"Hello."

A gentle voice. A gentle face. She looked up to see Vincent standing above her.

"Hello," she said quietly. Her throat felt gravely from lack of use. He looked surprised.

Very slowly she picked herself up, resting on her knees. He reached out to help her and she took his hand. It was warm, hairy, and clawed, yet it did not pierce her skin, so careful was the Lion man.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, looking at her bloodied knees.

Leda took a deep breath. She looked at him with a remarkable calm that seemed to disturb him more than anything.

"Yes," she said. "I'm alright."


	4. Chap 4

This chapter is specifically dedicated to Firefly, who had the courage to write an e-mail and demand another … can't say I blame you, I know how incredibly frustrating it is when an author abandons a story that you're expected. I'm sorry this is a month later than I expected. Actually I had to rewatch the series because I forgot what happened… it was all good inspiration though!

This one is short, mind, but I already have the next three chapters outlined, so they'll be more.

* * *

Mouse wasn't sure how he was able to do what he did. He certainly had never been taught how to put parts together. Maybe he had learned by careful observation. He had taken so many things apart that when there was nothing left to put back together he'd had no choice.

Still, according to Father, it was a gift.

_"A 'gift' is meant to be nurtured very carefully Mouse,"_ he'd said to him once. Actually it was half a lecture and half a scolding, one that he'd earned from pinching off engines and sparkplugs from another deserted construction yard in the dead of night. _"Some people mistake their gifts for mere enjoyment, never using them for the real reason they were given… the reason that every gift is given… to help one another." Father's eyes blazed, half with anger and half with zeal. "Here below, we have always taken that responsibility… to help our community… very seriously. But helping others can never be done properly if is injuring another party_!"

He was right. Of course he was right. Father was always right.

Mouse looked up from his workbench to the maps he had crudely drawn of the different tunnels leading to the world above. He had abandoned his digging machine for the moment, and was currently going over father's speech in his head, both trying to ignore his guilt and find a loophole in the words.

"No use…" he grumbled. "No use no use no use…." standing up he brushed the map off his desk onto the floor. In his anger he threw himself on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Why was it that nothing ever came together for him?

"Can't go above… can't find other tunnel without machine… Jaime not help Mouse…" muttering he stood up and ran his fingers through his (pardon the pun) mousy hair.

Suddenly it hit him. He jumped off his bed, accidentally stepping on the tail of his beloved Arthur who let out an angry yelp of indignation as he threw himself under the bed, hissing.

Mouse barely noticed. A huge grin lit up his face.

"Arthur, I'm going to find Catherine!" he said gleefully. "Catherine… Catherine lives above, knows where to go… she'll help Mouse! Help Mouse surprise Father!"

With another click of the heels, he whisked himself away, up the passages he knew so well and into the dark.

* * *

One step. Two. Three…

She took a deep breath, pausing to gain her bearings. These tunnels… they were so dark… and every sound seemed to echo for miles. A drip of water a few dozen feet away sounded like a canon by the time it reached her ears.

She shuttered. Clutching her cloak around her tightly, she repeated her mantra, '_This isn't real. This isn't real. It's not real. It's not real…_'

Another step. Then another.

She really wasn't sure what she was looking for. Still, it had been several days since anyone had come down to these caves. Of course, that wasn't counting the kindly lady called 'Mary' who delivered her food and the Doctor who everyone called Father who would routinely come down to see her. They told her that Catherine, the lady who had come before would also be coming soon.

"Catherine is trying to find the man who did this," Mary said soothingly, while she gently touched the young girl's shoulder. "Vincent also tried to find him, but was unable to. We don't want him out there, hurting other people. That's why Catherine is filing this report."

Father smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Leda was no longer afraid of him, but could hardly stand to look at these people; and wondered inwardly how many more knew about her shame; her agony.

_No you musn't think that! You mustn't… remember, this isn't real. This is a dream. It's not real…_

Father reached out and took her hand. "My dear. Catherine is coming tomorrow. She just wants to speak to you. We understand that you don't want to talk to anyone yet, but it's time to take some steps."

Taking steps. That's what she was doing.

Leda knew it wasn't right to keep running. She had to be brave, to stay, to talk to Catherine.

No she couldn't, she _couldn't_ relive the experience again- not again…

She felt as though he was going entirely mad.

She had told them almost nothing. They had no idea that she had a grandmother above who was probably worried sick about her. They had no idea that she would be missed from school, that she was on a scholarship program that depended on a grade point minimum of 3.8. All lost. Lost within these tunnels.

She didn't know where she was going, but she wasn't going to be in her room when Catherine got there.

With one finger on the pipe, she walked down different passageways, some so dark that she almost turned back; terrified of who might be lurking in the shadows. She talked on, until she started to reach an incline and a small patch of light.

She stopped abruptly.

There, in the middle of the clearing was a machine of some sort. It was half buried in the wall and seemed to be largely made up of some kind of drill.

Hesitantly, slightly unbelievingly, she reached out and touched it and was rewarded with a large mechanical groan. A large chunk of metal broke off and fell on the ground. Fascinated, she belt down and picked it up, surprised to find that it was actually part of a bicycle handle.

Mechanical Engineering. The construction of everything from coffee pots to jet airplanes. Ever since she was a child she had been amazed by the subject, despite it's normally masculine following. The only reason she had been allowed to study the career field to begin with was due to the Women's Educational Fund, which was looking to give scholarships and encourage women to pursue science and mathematical career fields. Despite the encouragement from other women, her professors and fellow classmates seemed somewhat unimpressed; she'd never been allowed to participate on any solo student projects.

She ran the tip of her finger over the handle again. Whoever had made his machine certainly deserved points for creativity and ingenuity. Of course, there was no way it could have actually functioned the way it was; not with the accelerator cable and the broken engine housing made out of a coffee can.

Still, it had possibilities.

Leda slowly looked at the different tools scattered on the ground and selected the ratchet.

For a few blissful seconds, she forgot about the past weeks. About the dark, about the tunnel and the faceless man.

For a few seconds.

That was all.


End file.
